Monday, the 12th of May 2014, was a busy day for NYP’s School of Engineering (SEG) graduands. They were readying themselves for Graduation Night. The theme was “Great Gatsby” and a night of fun awaited us at Holiday Inn Singapore. About 129 students, including myself, and 11 staff members came together to send-off this year’s SEG graduands at this gala event.
At 6 pm, a bevy of beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen gathered at the entrance of the ballroom waiting for registration. They attracted the attention of the hotel guests too. The guys wore tuxedos and suits, while the girls looked charming in their evening gowns.
Camera flashes went off everywhere and everyone was using smartphone cameras. It was the end of our poly life as we know it, and we took this opportunity to make as many memories as we could.
There was also a board called ‘Our Dreams” near the registration booth for graduating students to pen their dreams for the future. I wrote my dream down and was determined to achieve it no matter how hard it would be. A Fun Photobooth was also available for graduands to take photos with their beloved friends.
Time flies, but memories will stay!
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| “Our Dreams” Board |
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| Graduands taking photos at the Fun Photo Booth |
“My advice to you is to make best use of what you have, such as your diploma and your connections with friends, and always support one another. Be prepared to work hard, be flexible and grab any opportunity that comes by”, he said.
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| Mr Edward Ho (extreme left) taking a selfie with graduands |
Shortly after, there were several performances by SEG students.
What’s a fun night without games? Sameer, the emcee of the day, got us going with a few interesting games. One game had every group rushing to get all items mentioned by the emcee in order to win. A number of strange objects were mentioned, such as a strand of hair, lip gloss, high heels, etc. The cooperation of everyone at every table was definitely essential.
In one instance, the emcee shouted: “Please get a shirt!”
All the students were stunned and after a few seconds, some gung ho people took their shirts off in order to help their group accumulate enough items. Everyone was eager to win!
There was a surprise for a certain birthday boy too. Syazwan Zainal, who was invited to the stage, was pleasantly surprised as two other graduands sung him a birthday song. I could see he very much enjoyed interacting with the singers on the stage.
Throughout dinner, some groups went missing. Later we found out they were trying to win the Instagram Contest for the Most Creative Group Selfie Photo, Funniest Group Selfie Photo and Most Stylo Shot. Yes, they went to secret places to take ‘selfie’ pictures. Here are the winning entries:
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| Most Creative Group Selfie Photo |
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| Funniest Group Selfie Photo |
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| Most Stylo Shot |
As E.A. Bucchianeri wrote once, “The most beautiful moments always seemed to accelerate and slip beyond one’s grasp just when you want to hold onto them for as long as possible.”
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| My friends and I at the same table |
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| Photo with one of my favourite lecturers, Ms. Cheam Shuning |
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| Organising Committee selfie |
I also got the chance to interact with Wilson Wee De Sheng, a third year Diploma in Digital & Precision Engineering student, who was in charge of the event’s organising committee. I asked him about his experience.
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| Wilson (left) and Sameer getting the games going |
“It is my joy to plan this event and it is great to see seniors smiling, dressing up on such a wonderful night, and having a good meal together,” said Wilson.
“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.” - Baltasar Gracian
This quote inspires me and I sincerely hope all our friendships live forever!
All good things must come to an end. I hope all of us will remember our happy days at school and keep in contact with each other as true friends are a precious gift.
To my graduating cohort, see you guys at the graduation ceremony soon!
Photographs courtesy of Joey Voon Chin Yong, Lim Hwa Onn and Joey Chua Zhu Ying from SEG Club.
By Kiong Xiang Yi, Diploma in Digital and Precision Engineering graduand
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Xiang Yi likes reading and travelling. He is new to writing articles. He believes in the saying, "if you are determined to learn, no one can stop you". His dream is to travel around the world and explore it, make new friends and try new things. Being involved in SEG Club and other CCAs, he knows that going through challenging experiences can make him a stronger person and help him take on more challenges in the future.